Enormous New Dam Fails In Brazil

New Scientist ^ | 7-10-2006

[blam]

Enormous new dam fails in Brazil

10 July 2006
From New Scientist Print Edition.

GIANT cracks have opened in one of the world's tallest dams, just months after completion. The cracks appeared after a tunnel collapsed on 20 June beneath the 200-metre-high Campos Novos dam in southern Brazil, and the reservoir rapidly emptied. At one point, 4000 cubic metres of water (more than enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool) were rushing downstream every second towards a second dam on the river Canoas.

"If this had happened during the rainy season, and the two reservoirs had been full, water would likely have poured over the lower dam and it might have been destroyed. That would have been a major disaster, with perhaps hundreds killed," says Patrick McCully of the International Rivers Network, a California-based group that campaigns against large dams. Between them, the two dams can hold more than 2 cubic kilometres of water.

The dam's owner, Enercan, a consortium of Brazilian power companies, has revealed little about the accident. It is reported to have been trying to patch holes in a leaking tunnel since October, before the second tunnel failed catastrophically last month.

[aruanan]

Okay, there's Martinique and Guadaloupe.

[blam]

"Try Portuguese..... Brazil is almost half of South America in population and almost half of South America in land area so think big."

And, Brazil has the largest population of Blacks of any country outside of Africa.

[Richard Kimball]

Why did that old song, "Look for the Union label" pop into my mind when I read this?

[ArrogantBustard]

Don't forget Louisiana (really "sort of" French) and Canuckistan.

[SierraWasp]

"Just wait, California."

Pure, unadulterated hogwash!!! Every great dam in CA is built on or near a fault/crack/rupture/earth hernia, etc. Who you tryna scare? Are you a member of Fiends of the River, Inc.?

[Inyo-Mono]

Mark is the co-founder and board member emeritus of Friends of the River, California's statewide organization working for the protection of rivers, their flora and fauna and for sustainable water development. Mark also co-founded International Rivers Network. He organized the first international dam-fighters conference - a five-day conference and tour with 70 NGO leaders from 25 countries. Mark served as International Coordinator for Earth Day 1990 and Earth Day 2000; Mark coordinated global outreach and developed the seven-person international staff plus the International Council and International Strategic Partners. Mark also is the founder and director of WorldWise. Before his career as an environmental organizer and activist, Mark co-founded and operated "etc", the Environmental Traveling Companions where he organized and guided inner-city youth and disabled, down whitewater rivers.

How in the name of God does one earn a living doing that? How does he get a paycheck?

[rlmorel]

Dike is something a Dutchman puts his finger in.

Dyke is a woman who eats carpets.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Mark Dubois
Bainbridge Island, WA

Mark is the co-founder and board member emeritus of Friends of the River, California's statewide organization working for the protection of rivers, their flora and fauna and for sustainable water development. Mark also co-founded International Rivers Network. He organized the first international dam-fighters conference - a five-day conference and tour with 70 NGO leaders from 25 countries. Mark served as International Coordinator for Earth Day 1990 and Earth Day 2000; Mark coordinated global outreach and developed the seven-person international staff plus the International Council and International Strategic Partners. Mark also is the founder and director of WorldWise. Before his career as an environmental organizer and activist, Mark co-founded and operated "etc", the Environmental Traveling Companions where he organized and guided inner-city youth and disabled, down whitewater rivers.

Who pays his salary?

His office expenses?

His travel expenses?

His overhead and taxes?

His conference arrangement fees?

[Moonman62]

I'd bet that they did not let the cement cure. You can't just fill up the forms and say, "That's it." It takes many, many pours, in stages and phases to get the cement to cure properly.

I remember seeing a special on the Hoover dam. They laid many refrigeration lines throughout the dam because the reaction is exothermic. I believe they also said the cement is still curing to this day.

[Peelod]

http://history.boisestate.edu/hy309/papacy/alexandervi.html

Alexander VI

(1492-1503)

Very possibly the worst and most notorious of all the Renaissance popes, Rodrigo Borgia can find almost no one who has a good word to say about him. Corrupt, ambitious, worldly and pleasure-seeking, Pope Alexander VI would have been considered a rake even as a secular lord. As the leader and embodiment of western Christendom, he can only be called a scandal.

[more]

[Moonman62]

That might as well knock it down and start over, and hire an American company to do it.

[SierraWasp]

Well, Mrs. Dubois little boy chained himself to a rock on the Stanislaus River behind the New Melones Dam to try to stop the Bureau of Reclamation from filling it.

Such a big rain storm came along and filled so much faster than anyone at the Bureau had ever anticipated and sure enough Mark lacked "sticktuitiveness!" He was like so out of there!!! We wondered where he was. Last we heard he was off tilting at windmills like trying to destroy the World Bank, or something.

[blam]

"I believe they also said the cement is still curing to this day."

Yup. I saw the same show.

[SierraWasp]

I think you need to search out the series from the Sacramento BEE from 5 or 6 years ago, entitled "Fat of the Land," or something very much like that.

It was written by one of the two Pulitzer Prize winners of the previous series called "Sierra In Peril" in the early 90's. Evidently the guy finally had a pang of conscience and wrote the truth about the fund raising power of these hugely rich EnvironMental NGO's like Friends of the River, Inc., etc.

The series is a real eye opener and answers all the questions being asked here in the last few replies!!!

Calcowgirl, you are a priceless asset to FreeRepublic.com IMHO!!!

[Arizona Carolyn]

Sure what it sounds like, though the diversion tunnels -- were they trying to let water out too fast? did they have a caviatation problem like we had at Lake Powell back in the big Colorado River Floods of 1983? They found a way to fix the cavitation problem that is supposed to be in use in dams around the world today.

[Cobra64]

You and I saw the same documentary. The History Channel or Modern Marvels, wasn't it? It is amazing what we did almost 100 years ago building these dams and railroads through mountains. Today, we can't even rebuild the WTC.

[elli1]

Lots more detail here: Link

[SierraWasp]

Well... Everytime I drive down to Folsom Dam's "Dike 8," I keep forgetting to look how they spells it!!! I could go on, but I won't...

[NonValueAdded]

you misunderstand ... read the story linked in #47. It has nothing to do with nautral causes, it has to do with contractor fraud.